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Cardioversion
Cardioversion
is a
medical procedure
by which an abnormally fast
heart rate
(
tachycardia
) or
cardiac arrhythmia
is converted to a
normal rhythm
using
electricity
or
drugs
.
Synchronized electrical cardioversion
uses a therapeutic dose of
electric current
to the
heart
at a specific moment in the
cardiac cycle
. (Defibrillation uses a therapeutic dose of
electric current
to the
heart
at a random moment in the
cardiac cycle
, and is the most effective resuscitation measure for
cardiac arrest
associated with
ventricular fibrillation
and pulseless
ventricular tachycardia
.)
Pharmacologic cardioversion
, also called
chemical cardioversion
, uses
antiarrhythmia medication
instead of an electrical shock.
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